The
Sesame Street Book and Record (1970)

Released
1970 by Columbia Records, Inc. Album produced by Thomas Z. Shepard. Words
and music by Joe Raposo and Jeff Moss. LP.

Ironically
the first Sesame Street album is the best-selling Sesame record of all
time. Featuring the first-ever release by Kermit the Frog, "Green"
(the song was later renamed to "Bein' Green"), "Rubber
Duckie", and "I Love Trash" this album is full of the most
memorable favorites even more than thirty years later. This album has
been reissued in it's entirety numerous times (Sesame Street 1-1974, 1977,
Sesame Street Gold, 1978). Most of these songs have also been reissued
numerous times under different labels and compilations over the years.

If you're
lucky enough to have the original book that accompanied this record you'll
find many edgy early drawings and pictures of the first-generation Sesame
Street Muppets.

Side One:
1. Sesame Street Theme (The Entire Cast)
* This credit was later changed to the "The Kids".
2. ABC-DEF-GHI (Big Bird)
3. I've Got Two (Big Bird and Oscar plus everybody including Mr. Hooper)
4. Goin' for a Ride (Anything People)
5. What Are Kids Called (Bob and Susan)
6. Everybody Wash (Ernie and Bert)
7. One of These Things (Bob and Susan)
8. Up and Down (Two Monsters)
9. Green (Kermit)

Released
1971 by Columbia Records, Inc. Based on "The Frog Prince". Album
produced by Arthur Shimkin. LP.

A
record version of the 1971 special "The Frog Prince", starring
Kermit and Robin the Frog. This special featured two new characters, Robin
and Sweetums. The record includes dialogue and songs from the special,
with extra narration by Kermit. Inside is a Gatefold cover which features
24 pictures and descriptions from the special.

Released
1977 by Arista Records. Produced by Jim Henson, with the help of Peter
Harris. LP and cassette.

Arista
released this terrific collection of songs from the first season of "The
Muppet Show". The same cover was also used on the front of the Muppet
Show lunchbox (1978).

The
Muppet Show album achieved Gold and Platinum status in both the United
States and the United Kingdom. This album also won a Grammy in the "Best
Recording for Children" category.

The
UK version of this record (released on PYE) features two bonus tracks,
"Pachalafaka" and "Hugga Wugga", as mentioned below.
The UK record also includes a Gatefold cover which has a large picture
of Kermit squatting under the Muppet Show logo, with pictures of the characters
surrounding him from the first season. The same picture of Kermit is used
on the large 3-D
promotional poster. The back of the UK cover also features a picture
of Droop on a motorcycle.

Released
1977 by Eva-Tone Soundsheets. Produced by Jim Henson. Released on 45 RPM
blue vinyl square plastic record.

The record
features the fan club versions of the opening and closing theme along
with some wonderful dialogue from Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Scooter,
The Electric Mayhem, Sam the Eagle, The Great Gonzo, Thog, and Statler
and Waldorf.

Released
1978 by Arista Records. Produced by Jim Henson, with the help of Peter
Harris. LP and cassette.

Here's
another collection of songs and sketches from "The Muppet Show",
this time from the second season. This record came in a neat picture sleeve
which features pictures of various Muppets under the opening theme arches.
The picture sleeve was included on a Gateway cover with the UK release
(PYE Records).

Side One:
1. The Muppet Show Theme
2. Baby Face
3. There's A New Sound (As Sung by Scooter)
4. A Monologue (By Fozzie Bear)
5. Cuento Le Gusta (As Sung by Miss Piggy and The Pigs)
6. Who (As Sung by Zelda and Her Singing Owl)
7. Time In A Bottle
8. An Editorial by Sam the Eagle
9. Borneo
10. At The Dance
11. Upidee
12. Just One Person

Released
1978 by Sesame Street Records and the Children's Television Workshop.
Produced by Joe Raposo. LP and cassette.

"Sesame
Disco!" was released in 1979 as a follow-up to the highly successful "Sesame
Street Fever". This album is included in this guide because it features
two great disco remakes from special guest Kermit, "Disco Frog"
and "Bein' Green". Unfortunately these great disco albums have
never been reissued on CD, except for limited form in Japan.

Side One:
1. What Makes Music? (The Entire Cast)
2. Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco (Cookie Monster and The Girls)
3. The Happiest Street in the World (Big Bird, The Kids, and The Girls)
4. Sing (The Girls)

Side Two:
1. Disco Frog (Kermit the Frog and The Girls)
2. Doin' the Trash (Oscar the Grouch and The Girls)
3. Bein' Green (Kermit the Frog and The Girls)
4. The Happiest Street in the World reprise (The Entire Cast)

Released
1979 by Atlantic Records. Produced by Paul Williams. LP and cassette.

This
is probably the most famous and best-selling Muppet album ever. From start
to finish, this album is wonderful. More than twenty years later, "The
Rainbow Connection" is still the most loved Muppet song of all time.
And "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" was the inspiration
for the 1999 film, "Muppets From Space".

This
record received a Grammy in the category, "Best Children's Album".
Jim Henson performed "The Rainbow Connection" live on the 1980
Grammy Awards. The album went Gold and Platinum in the USA.

The
UK version of this record (on PYE Records) features a different cover
than the US release. All of the Muppets are shown in a drawing of them
in Fozzie's Studebaker. The Gatefold and back cover are the same as the
US release.

Side One:
1. Rainbow Connection (Kermit)
2. Movin' Right Along (Kermit & Fozzie)
3. Never Before, Never Again (Miss Piggy)
4. Never Before, Never Again (Instrumental)
5. I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along (Kermit & Rowlf)

Released
1979 by PYE Records in the UK and Astor Records in Australia. LP and cassette.

While "The
Muppet Movie"is the most popular Muppet
album of all time, this record is probably the most sought-after. In fact,
few Muppet fans are even aware of it's existence. This is a great collection
of songs from "The Muppet Show", with most of them from the
third and fourth seasons.

Released
1979 by RCA Records. Produced by Milton Okun. Concept by Jim Henson and
John Denver. LP and cassette.

This
is an album of songs based on the 1979 Christmas special. Interestingly,
some of these are the actual tracks from the special, and some were re-recorded
just for the album.

The
TV special was recorded in the US while the record was recorded in England.
This explains why England native Louise Gold appears on the album and
not the special. The song "When the River Meets the Sea" by
Paul Williams was originally sung for the 1978 special,
"Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas".

The
songs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "We Wish
You a Merry Christmas", and "A Baby Just Like You" were
also released on a red vinyl 45.

Side One:
1. The Twelve Days of Christmas (John and the Cast)
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Rowlf and John)
3. The Peace Carol (John, Scooter and the Cast)
4. Christmas Is Coming (Miss Piggy, Scooter, the Great Gonzo, Robin)
5. A Baby Just Like You (John)
6. Deck the Halls (The Cast)
7. When the River Meets the Sea (Robin & John with the Cast)

Side Two:
1. Little Saint Nick (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem)
2. Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913 (John)
3. The Christmas Wish (Kermit the Frog)
4. Medley:
1. Alfie, The Christmas Tree; Carol for a Christmas
Tree (John)
2. It's In Every One of Us (John & the Cast)
5. Silent Night, Holy Night (John and the Cast)
6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas (John and the Cast)

Fan site Muppet Central created by Phillip Chapman. Updates by Muppet
Central Staff. All Muppets, Bear characters are copyright
of The Muppets Studio. Sesame Street characters are copyright of Sesame
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Fraggle Rock, Creature Shop and similar likenesses are copyright
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